The first stage of Victoria Sport, a landmark sports and medical research hub in the heart of Melbourne, will be realised with the assistance of $15million from the Federal Government.
The $70 million Victoria Sport project has grown out of an innovative partnership between the Collingwood Football Club and Monash University that will further Melbourne and Australia’s position as a global leader in sports performance, development and medical research.
Victoria Sport has received support from both the Federal Government and Federal Opposition
Victoria Sport will deliver outstanding new sports infrastructure in the Melbourne and Olympic Park precinct and support the Australian Government’s vision of increasing participation in sport. The treatment of, and research into, injuries in female sports will be of particular focus.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the funding for Victoria Sport at Collingwood’s training venue in the Melbourne and Olympic Parks precinct on Friday.
Treasurer Frydenberg said the $15million was written into in the recent federal budget and is not contingent upon the outcome of the upcoming Federal election. Victoria Sport has bipartisan support, with Federal opposition leader, Bill Shorten, also backing the project.
“Victoria Sport will be a world-first, multidisciplinary hub for sports medicine research and knowledge sharing. It will enhance performance and the physical and wellbeing of people involved at all levels of sport,” Frydenberg said.
“The new hub will further enhance Melbourne’s reputation as an international sporting capital and deliver powerful community benefits through a partnership between Monash University and the Collingwood Football Club.”
Through Victoria Sport, Collingwood and Monash University will distribute research discoveries and world-leading expertise to create maximum impact in the community. The hub will connect to Monash’s higher education and research expertise, health services, health professionals and clinical networks at major metropolitan Melbourne hospitals and throughout regional Victoria.
“Monash University research at Victoria Sport will define and develop world leading practise in sports injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, for male and female athletes, with a focus on player wellbeing and mental health,” Professor Marc Parlange, Provost and Senior Vice-President of Monash University, said.
“This funding will create knowledge that will be shared across and benefit our sporting communities.”
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said that being able to offer a service to all athletes – from the elite to the grassroots – and drive research outcomes that may improve the health of all Australians makes Victoria Sport a necessary addition to the nation’s sports landscape.
“Our club seeks to play a major role of social responsibility and leadership and Victoria Sport will enable us to drive key health and well-being initiatives across all sports at all levels,” McGuire said.
“The new facilities will underpin our position as a national sporting club and our commitment to women’s sport. We share the Government’s vision to boost women’s participation in sport at all levels. Victoria Sport will also link to our major community partnerships and regional footprint, and to our teams in AFL, AFLW, Netball and Wheelchair AFL.”
In addition to providing research programs and clinical services, Victoria Sport will offer training expertise, sports and health education and community programs assistance.
Victoria Sport will:
- Attract and retain the world’s best athletes, coaches, performance staff, elite-sports administrators, sport and medical researchers, and clinicians.
- Enhance women’s sport participation at elite and community levels.
- Drive research into sports injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for women
- Improve health and wellbeing for all people involved in sport.
- Export knowledge and impact programs nationally and around the world.
- Create an international brand for impact in health and sport.
Victoria Sport facilities will include:
- Treatment clinics and performance research laboratories
- New facilities for women’s sport
- Education and Conference Theatres
- Olympic Park Visitor Centre
- Rehabilitation Gymnasium
